Sugar Rushing the Hello Kitty Cafe in San Jose

BY TAMARA PALMER

I dream of someday visiting the Hello Kitty Grand Cafe in Irvine for tea and cocktails one day, but until that happens, I’ve got the Hello Kitty Cafe kiosk at Santana Row in San Jose when I need to OD on Sanrio sugar.

As has always been the case with Sanrio candy and other sweets, it’s hit and miss — and the general rule of thumb is that the fresh desserts and drinks are the hits and the shipped items, including frosted cookies and pop tarts, are best left to Instagram. The iced drinks generally have too much sugar, but they go down easy in the South Bay sun.

My mother once asked me when I will outgrow Sanrio — I had to explain that it’s a lifelong obsession.

Hello Kitty Cafe, 3055 Olin Avenue #1010, San Jose